Reflections on 2012

This is a good time to do some reflections on this last year and then begin to work on what needs to happen to have a great year in 2013.  Here are some things to do during one's reflection time.  First, look at what went right.  It is important to remember the positive things in life.  If one only thinks of the negative it can open the door to depression.  Second, highlight the good family times that you had because when all is said and done the relational times with family are very important.  Third, begin to list the things that you wanted to accomplish but yet are still undone.  Here one needs to answer the question of whether or not they still need to be done or just left undone.  If it is something that ought to be done then place that item as a high priority to accomplish in 2013.  There is great wisdom at times to leave some things undone because in the big picture they really do not matter.  Learning to do what is most important is vital because all too often we keep dealing with the urgent and leave undone what is important.  Fourth, list the things that were a negative in your life.  Spend some time thinking about what the next step ought to be in these situations.  Some of these areas you may need to talk to someone to receive counsel and as a believer one ought to make this a matter of prayer in asking God what to do.  It is in this area that some type of change maybe necessary whether it is my own attitude, a spiritual growth area or restoration of relationship, or just making a stronger level of commitment to do what you know you ought to do.  This is not an easy thing to do but if you want 2013 to be a better year then in 2012, it means you must do some things differently.  On a personal note as I am going through this process I realize two things clearly.  First, God has been good to me even though I did not see some of things I was believing God for in 2012.   Second, I am conscious of the fact that I need to change and continue to grow as a child of God in order to see what I am believing God to do in 2013.
May the favor of the Lord be with us in 2013.

Pastor John

The Gift of Love

Today is Christmas Eve and a time of many religious celebrations of the birth of Christ and of family gatherings.  God the Father revealed to us on the first Christmas Day the greatest gift in the history of the world when Jesus was born.  This gift of love is the foundation of any gift given from anyone to anyone this Christmas season.  I realize that not all will recognize this truth but it does not change the fact of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever beleives in Him will have eternal life."  God loved us and then gave us a gift.  We love our family and so this time of the year we find pleasure in giving gifts.  For many parents and grandparents the joy is watching their kids and grandkids open their gifts with great excitement.  For God this comes when a person accepts His gift (Jesus) into their hearts.  When this happens there is great rejoicing in heaven.  May we remember the greatest gift of love ever given in the midst of all the family gatherings and celebrations.  Jesus is still the reason for the season.  The greatest gift we can give as well during this season is the gift of love.  One last thing in this blog that makes God's gift the greatest, when God gave His gift to us we were unloveable.  What a precious display of love and unmerited favor that God has shown to us.  I for one will be thankful for all eternity.
May God bless you with His love.  Merry Christmas.

Pastor John

Jesus came to defeat evil

The big news right now is the story of the horrific murders in an elementary school.  Everyone seems to have an opinion and making posts concerning this situation.  I do not want to offend anyone but to take a the position of just grieving with the family is a bit shallow.  I cannot imagine what these families are going through and my heart hurts for them.  There is a lot of talk about how to prevent this from happening again but for many their solutions are shallow and symptomatic which will never remove the real problem that exist.  This world in the last 100 years has witnessed some of the most horrific crimes against humanity that ever happened in the history of the world.  A local paper headline on Saturday was "Evil Visited".  They had it right but I am not sure they know why they got it right.  If evil did visit on that day and I believe it did then the problem is evil.  I have not heard anyone in the media ask this questions.  Why or how did this young man turn his life over to doing evil?  What could we have done to keep evil from taking over this young man's life?  Unfortunately he used his free will to the purpose of evil.  Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy.  But I have come that you might have life and life abundantly."  In just one week of this blog we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  Why did Jesus come?  To defeat evil which He did when He died on the cross of Calvary.  Through the defeat of evil we can have forgiveness of sin and begin to have life and peace through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  How do we prevent this evil or any evil for sake of discussion?  By accepting Jesus Christ and to begin to live our lives by the principles of Jesus Christ rather then by the thoughts of man.  Jesus came into the world as the one true light that shines in the darkness.  May we allow His light to shine upon our lives in such a manner that we will be willing to love God and our fellow man by the principles of God.
May God grant to you a blessed Christmas season.

Pastor John

 

God became flesh

The importance of the birth of Jesus cannot be underestimated. God became flesh and dwelt among us is a constant theme of this time of the year. The apostle John made this truth as a central key in one's ability in the discernment of the spirits. I John 4:2-3 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” The teaching of the birth of Jesus is not found just in the first couple of chapters of the gospels but it is vital to understand all the others teachings of Jesus Christ. There are many different thoughts about Jesus Christ but if anyone does not acknowledge the virgin birth of Jesus Christ they are not from God. If they are not from God then I am not to pay any attention to their false teachings. The world wants you to believe that there are many ways to heaven but if the teaching of the birth of Jesus is true then there is only one way because that is what Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came in the flesh then this statement is true and if it is true then I need to place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior if I want to see my Creator, our Heavenly Father. This teaching that the the Christian church has been celebrating for nearly 2,000 years is true and not a matter of personal opinion though many want all faith issues just to be a matter of opinion. The facts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ are clearly recorded and are accurate. I encourage you this Christmas season to reaffirm that Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh who then died on the cross to defeat evil and provided forgiveness of sin to all who trust in Him.

May God enlighten the eyes of your heart with the truth of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Pastor John

Loving God

Jesus in a response to the question on which commandment was the greatest did not even give one of the Ten Commandments but said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind."  Matthew 22:37.   In my message on Sunday I asked this question in response to Loving God commandment.  If we are healthy what is this going to look like?  Unfortunately for many American Christians there are too few models to look at to know what loving God look like.  Our greatest mentor on this topic are the godly men and women of the Bible who choose to love God over and above all other things.  I am going to share just two for sake of space.  First, King David, he is called a man after God own heart.  David wrote the majority of Psalms which reflect a man who loved God with everything He had.  Psalm 27:4 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  vs. 8 "My heart says of you, 'seek His face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek".  There are many more verses in the Psalms that convey David's heart of being in pursuit of the God that he loved.  May we be in pursuit of the Lord with all of our heart, with all of our soul and with all of our mind. 
The second example is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, she was a virgin when an angel of the Lord spoke to her heart.  After the angel explained to Mary what was going to happen this was her response, "I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said."  Within this simple response was a heart willing to allow the Lord to do whatever He wanted to do in here life.  During Mary's visit to Elizabeth she had a song and this is the first line, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior." Luke 1:46-47.  Is this not a heart that is fully committed to allowing God to be God in their life.  Is this not an example that we ought to follow today.
Let us not allow the distractions of life and not allow the distractions of the Christmas season to hinder our first and greatest responsibility as a Christian which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind.  May the God of all love and peace be with you.

Pastor John